The Paris Olympics areĀ estimatedĀ to cost over $9 billion to host, making them one of the less expensive Summer Oylmpic Games in recent memory.
This graphic lists the estimated cost of hosting the Olympics (Summer and Winter) in 2021 USD. It goes back to the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. The figures come from various sources and were accessed via theĀ Council on Foreign Relations.
Costly Infrastructure
The cost of hosting the Olympics has varied massively in recent years, from Sochiās $59.7 billion to Salt Lake Cityās $2.9 billion (2021 USD).
| Year | Country | City | Summer/Winter | Cost (2021 USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 |  Ā U.S. |
Atlanta | Summer | 4.2 |
| 1998 |  Ā Japan |
Nagano | Winter | 17.9 |
| 2000 |  Ā Australia |
Sydney | Summer | 8.1 |
| 2002 | Ā U.S. |
Salt Lake City | Winter | 2.9 |
| 2004 |  Ā Greece |
Athens | Summer | 18.7 |
| 2006 |  Ā Italy |
Turin | Winter | 5.3 |
| 2008 |  Ā China |
Beijing | Summer | 52.7 |
| 2010 |  Ā Canada |
Vancouver | Winter | 8.9 |
| 2012 |  Ā United Kingdom |
London | Summer | 13.3 |
| 2014 |  Ā Russia |
Sochi | Winter | 59.7 |
| 2016 |  Ā Brazil |
Rio de Janeiro | Summer | 13.0 |
| 2018 |  Ā South Korea |
Pyeongchang | Winter | 15.4 |
| 2020 | Ā Japan |
Tokyo | Summer | 35.0 |
One of the biggest costs associated with hosting the Olympics is infrastructure. This includes sports facilities such as arenas and general infrastructure like housing and transportation.
This is typically higher for summer games, which can attract hundreds of thousands of tourists.
As a result, despite generating billions of dollars in revenue, the Olympics can leave aĀ negative legacyĀ for a host city if not carefully planned or executed.
For example, aĀ reportĀ by the University of Birmingham concluded that the most expensive eventāSochi in 2014āleft the Russian resort vastly overdeveloped relative to its actual occupancy levels. The report estimates that over a billion dollars of follow-up investment is required to maintain the underused infrastructure, including transport networks, sporting venues, and hotels.
Credit: Visual Capitalist
